NGC 7231 is a barred spiral galaxy in Lacerta, 45 million light-years away
NGC 7231 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Lacerta , 45 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.7′ × 36″ of sky, about 22,100 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in October.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding NGC 7231 from Deneb
Deneb
NGC 7231
LACERTA
NGC 7231 lies 16.0° east of Deneb , the magnitude 1.3 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 7231 is highest in the evening in October
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 70° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 75° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 64° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 54° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 73° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 84° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 66° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 83° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -15° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -8° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 74° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 64° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -34° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 54° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 43° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -39° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 40° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -54° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -57° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -64° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -74° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 15° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -71° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -83° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -64° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 45°S, and never sets north of 45°N.
NGC 7231 is 45 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 7231 tonight left it about 45 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 7231
10 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 7209, open cluster, 1.7° IC 5146 Cocoon Nebula, cluster with nebula, 3.8° NGC 7243, open cluster, 4.6° NGC 7250, late spiral galaxy, 4.9° NGC 7248, lenticular galaxy, 4.9° IC 5217, planetary nebula, 6.0°
NGC 7231 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Lacerta Designations NGC 7231, 2MASX J22123011+4519424, IRAS 22104+4504, PGC 068285, UGC 11951 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBa) Right ascension (J2000) 22h 12.5m Declination (J2000) +45° 20′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.7′ × 36″ Position angle 87° True size 22,100 light-years Distance 45 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,058 km/s, redshift 0.00353 Best with Large telescope Best month October Catalog page NGC 7001 to 7500
